If you've heard anything about Ukrainian drama, The Tribe, and there's a good
chance you haven't, it's that no dialogue is featured anywhere. While not
necessarily a silent film; there is plenty of ambient noise to fill in the gaps
and a couple of guttural growls that emanate from the all-deaf cast,
director Myroslav Slaboshpytskiy has created his own vision of a silent
film, a dark and depressing homage laid out in the form of a teen gangster
movie. But whereas the novelty of the signed presentation is alluring and there
is definite skill in how the director tells this story without dialogue, the
actual tale being told lacks the same ingenuity and struggles to hold our
attention.
The problem is that the technique is the
most gripping aspect, while the characters lack depth. Told entirely in sign
language, the story centers on Sergey (Grigoriy Fesenko), the new kid at a
school for the deaf, but he might as well be the latest recruit into the
Corleone family. Whatever adult supervision there is at this place it doesn't
amount to much. Classes are few, the teachers are corrupt, and the kids
basically run wild. Within those halls is an organized crime outfit specializing
in theft, assault, and prostitution. Initially, we feel for the bullied Sergey,
but it isn't long until he's recruited into the gang and the dark side of his
personality emerges. The director pulls no punches in his ugly depiction of
base human behavior, and the result is a little like watching a movie by Larry
Clark (Kids, Bully).
There's tons of brutal violence against friends and strangers alike, a fairly
large amount of graphic sex, and one incredibly uncomfortable abortion scene
that is the stuff nightmares are made of. Sergey becomes part of the school's
violent regime, but when he falls in love, or perhaps a better word is
"lust", with one of the prostitutes things get dangerous very
quickly.
There's boldness in the director's choice
not to include subtitles or any kind of guide to what is being said. He throws
you into the water head first and forces you to swim. While it's initially
frustrating, and likely some will give up rather than put in the effort, the
amazing thing is how quickly we're able to figure out what's going on by the
clear, steady direction and the expressive performances. While nobody speaks
(seriously, not a single word), this is hardly what could be called a silent
movie. Ambient noise is amped up a notch or two and has the effect of
heightening our awareness of the characters' silent lives. While that makes for
a unique sensation, the silence comes with a price. The story's broad strokes
are laid out carefully and are easy to follow through sign, but it's not so
easy figuring out the inner life of these characters. In particular Sergey is
difficult to decipher as he commits one heinous act or another; but does he do
it out of malice or some misguided idea of love? Some would say the lack of
explanatory language makes these acts all the more terrible, but after two
hours it's just frustrating.
In what is both a little strange and
somewhat refreshing, The Tribe isn't really about being deaf.
Deafness is never part of the equation. We see it, we recognize it, but this
isn't about "the deaf experience". In some way it's sad to have a
film that celebrates the beautiful communicative power of sign language be just
another story about bad teens gone wild. But there's an undeniable power to the
way The Tribe plays with our senses, and while the
film is ultimately flawed, we're not likely to see or hear anything else quite
like it for some time.
Rating: 3 out of 5
